Background to the Research
- Differentiation is defined as 'the process whereby an attempt is made
to provide learning experiences which are matched to the needs, capabilities
and previous learning of individual pupils'. This research was commissioned
to investigate the existing provision of differentiated learning in
primary schools.
Research Approach
- The research was conducted in four phases:
- This exploratory phase identified major issues in differentiation through
open ended interviews with staff of 14 primary schools drawn from
both controlled and maintained school and Advisers from the ELB,
and an Education Officer from the CCMS.
- The second phase comprised 4 survey questionnaires, sent to a random
sample of schools stratified to take into account management type,
geographic location, size and ELB. Questionnaire samples comprised
of 217 principals, 150 Subject Coordinators, 400 Teachers and
95 Curriculum Support Staff.
- The third phase comprised case studies, including observation and informal
interviews, which were carried out in 20 classes from 7 schools.
- The fourth stage involved semi-structured interviews focusing upon differentiation
with 6 teacher educators, representing the Teacher Training Colleges
and the Faculty of Education in the University of Ulster and 4
third year student teachers.
Main
Findings
- School
subject coordinators recommended the use of a range of differentiation
techniques including whole class teaching, group work and individual
attention.
- Few
schools had a specific, whole school policy on differentiation, although
the majority of Principals said it was implicit in all subject planning.
- The
largest proportion of teachers said they made provision for a wide
range of pupil attainment, a substantial minority made provision for
lower and higher attainers, and a minority did so for lower attainers
only.
- Differentiation
was mostly by task set in English, mathematics and science. However,
differentiation was more difficult in science with some teachers differentiating
on the basis of anticipating a different outcome for the same task,
except where the less able had to have an easier task.
- Major
problems in providing differentiation identified by principals, subject
coordinators in schools, teachers and ELB staff were lack of time,
limited human resources, pressure from other educational innovations
and classroom management.
- Board
staff said teachers reported difficulty in drawing up schemes of work
and developing supporting materials to cover the full range of pupil
ability.
- Teachers
reported that they received no advice in school on grouping for differentiation
although most principals and over half the subject coordinators said
advice was given.
- Principals
and teachers had not received any in-service support specifically
for differentiation in the last 3 years and found in-service training
days to be only of moderate relevance to differentiation. In-school
support was felt by most teachers to be of lasting value.
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